Results 321-340 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2006)

Derek McDowell: This group comprises a number of amendments to the 1964 Act that are designed to improve registration procedures and, therefore, assist the new authority in promoting and extending the registration of title. Amendment No. 37 introduces a new subsection to section 51 of the 1964 Act to make it easier to register long-term leases in registered freehold properties. In the case of a registered...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2006)

Derek McDowell: This is an important amendment to the Bill. It responds to concerns expressed in earlier debates about the delays and costs currently associated with the registration of land. Under current legislation, if a registered owner of land wishes to deal with it in any way, a land certificate issued in respect of the land must be presented to the Land Registry before further transactions can be...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2006)

Derek McDowell: Briefly, this amendment is designed to ensure that the authority is subject both to the Ombudsman Act 1980 and the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 in the same way as the Land Registry and registry of deeds, which are already included in the Schedules to both Acts.

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2006)

Derek McDowell: I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Cathaoirleach and the Members of both Houses for the constructive approach shown with regard to this Bill. Last year when it was introduced to this House, I stated that the reforms contained in the Bill would help to make the conveyancing of land easier and faster and would reduce registration delays and associated costs. The additional reforms...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2006)

Derek McDowell: In any event, until I introduce the Second Stage debate of the new Bill in this House, I wish to thank all the Members of this House who assiduously contributed to the passage of the present Bill through both Houses. I also wish, unprompted, to pay tribute to the officials in my Department who have worked on both projects and who are engaged in bringing about real, genuine and radical change...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: It might be useful if the Minister gave us some indication as to whether he is a fan of this particular tax credit. It was clear that his predecessor was not a fan and introduced it only in the wake of the individualisation debate as a necessary balm to keep the Fianna Fáil backbenchers at the time happy and off the airwaves. As far as I know, the allowance has not been increased since it...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I changed my mind.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I do not wish to wrong-foot the Minister but I had many disagreements with the previous Minister for Finance, Mr. McCreevy, about a range of tax reduction and reform measures — as he would call them — which he introduced, including this one. I have not changed my mind on any of them except this one. However, I have changed my mind on individualisation and believe that Mr. McCreevy was...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I am speaking for myself here——

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: Is the Minister committed to it in principle?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: It is an interesting amendment because TRS has been one of the serious improvements in the way the tax system is administered in recent years. It would be useful if it could be extended to other areas where people frequently do not make claims. As I understand it — the Minister can correct me if I am wrong — what currently happens is that if one takes out a mortgage with a financial...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I have been notified in writing. I accept that the Cathaoirleach effectively carries out an administrative function in the House but he has ingeniously managed to rule out of order all my recommendations, including some recommendations which were permitted in the Dáil.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I also know there is no point querying things with the Cathaoirleach.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: Perhaps these recommendations are being ruled out of order simply because there was so little notice but we only had 18 hours from the end of Second Stage last night. There has always been a certain flexibility with regard to recommendations on the Finance Bill because almost anything can be construed as a charge on the people or on the Exchequer. It is impossible to deal with the Finance...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I understand that the Leas-Chathaoirleach cannot change the Cathaoirleach's ruling but a little common sense is required. Almost any recommendation put down for the Finance Bill can be ruled out of order; it is possible to find some way of doing it. I am disappointed the Cathaoirleach has managed, particularly in such an extraordinary fashion, to rule everything out of order.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: All my recommendations were ruled out of order due to being a charge on the people.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I will speak on the next section.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: Forgive me for commenting that these recommendations are obviously out of order, notwithstanding that amendments of this kind have always been allowed in this House. Senator Mansergh is right in that all we can expect to achieve in this House is to have a reasonable debate about issues during the course of the two and a half hours available to us. None of us is naive enough to think the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: This is the——

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I thank the Minister for his response and do not wish to dispute further the figures he has produced. Will the Minister comment on the finding in his Department's review that essentially, these approved retirement funds, the ARFs, were not being used to produce an income flow, that only 6% of all ARFs in existence had been disturbed, in terms of distributions taken from them, and that most...